Ironing machine



Oct. 11, 1932. ETTEN 1,882,214

IRONING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 46 o /6 v a o 0 07 oN. L. ETTEN 1,882,214

IRONING MACHINE Filed May 20. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 11, 1932.

Oct. 11, 1932.

N. L. ETTEN IRONING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fzwezzzuw mfm , Aizf'ys v to get his fin ers caught between the presserPatented Oct. 11, 1932 UNITED srA'rEs NICHOLAS L. ETTEIN', or WATERLOO,IOWA,- AssIoNoR, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro

PATENT OFFICE CHAMBERLAIN MACHINE WORKS, A CORPORATION IRONING MACHINEApplication filed May 20, 1929. Serial No. 364,504.

My invention relates to that class of ironing machines in which theironing process is effected by pressing the garment to be ironed betweenahead and the buck, the heat for ironing purposes being applied to oneof these members. 7

Inmachines of this kind it is essential that a relatively great amountof pressure be applied to the garment during the ironing process.

Heretofore ironing machines of this chanacter have been equipped withelectric motors or the likeof considerable power and weight for-thepurpose of providing the necessary amount of pressure. p

The object of my invention is to provide an ironing machine of thepresser type of simple, durable and inexpensiveconstruction, and inwhich an ample amount of power for pressing purposes may be obtained bythe use of a relatively, small light electric motor,

which is applied directly to the buckinember of the ironing machine, andmoves it upward-- 1y only a slight distance to effect the pressingoperation, thus providing an ironing machine of very struction.

Another object of my invention is to provide an ironing machlne ofthischaracter without safety guards and so'arranged that it is practicallyimpossible for-an operator head and buc during the time that pressure isbeing applied.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the .various parts of thedevice, whereby the objedts contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in myclaims,1and; illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in"

which: g V. Y Figure 1 shows an end elevation partly in sectionillustrating my improved ironing ma- .chine. I

Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail view inlightweight and inexpensivecon-- vertical transverse section illustrating the upper portion of themachine frame and the buck and head members therein.

Figure 3 shows a longitudm 1 sectional View through the upper portion ofthe ma- Figure 5 shows an enlarged detail view illustrating the motorshaft and the cam shaft and the mechanism for driving the cam shaft attimes from the motor.

Figure 6 shows an enlarged detail view illustrating one of the latchdevices for securcoing the frame of the head member to the frame of thebuck member: The dotted lines show the latch in open position. I Figure7 shows a detail sectional view of the hinge member connecting the frameof the head to the frame of the buck member. The dotted lines show aportion of the head member in open position.

Figure 8 shows an enlarged detail view of the cam shaft and one of thecams, and a portion of the means for elevating the buck member by thecam. v

Figure 9 shows an enlarged detail sectional view of the latch device forthrowing the cam shaft driving pawl-out-of operative position; and iFigure 10 shows a similar view with the pin withdrawn to permit thelatch device to re-- main in an operative position.

shaft 12 projected upwardly andprovided on its upper end with a wormgear 13. This.

worm gear 13 isin mesh with a larger worm gear 14 rotatively mounted ona horizontal cam shaft 15, and means are provided tabs hereinafterdescribedcfor at, times clutching this worm gear 14 to the shaft 15.Mounted upon each end of the cam shaft 15 is a cam 16 designed to engagea sliding block 17 mounted for movement in a tubular frame 18, fixed tothe frame. Received in the upper'end of the tubular member 18 is atubular guide member 19 fixed to the buck member, and between the buckmember and the block 17 is a compression spring'20.

By this arrangement it will be seen that when the cam shaft is rotated ahalf revolution, and the buck member is at its lower position" ofmovement, then the buck -mem'-' 15 limit of movement, and after the headmember is -fixed in position, then it will limit the upward movement ofthe buck member and t e springs 20 will be compressed to an extentdepending upon the thickness of the material inserted between thetwopressing members. Then when the cam shaft'15 is r0.- tated again througha half revolution, the buck member will be thereby moved to its lowerlimit of movement. p In. this connection it should be explained that oneof the reasons why I am enabled to obtain an adequate. pressure forironing purposes by. the use of a very small motor and light andinexpensive frame, i's(that the entire buck member moves only from onelimit to the other about one-fourth inch, and hence the entire power ofthe motor through many revolutions" is reduced by the worm gearmechanism and the cams to such extent as to impart tothe buck memberonly the sli htupward movement before mentioned.

or the purpose of causing the cam shaft to be moved through a halfrevolution, and then stopped, Ihave provided the following mechanismi Ihave provided-a casing member 21 for the .worm ear 14. Within thiscasing member there is rfixed to the shaft 15 a ratchet member 22, andcarried bythe worm gear 14 is a awl member 23 havin its end 24 designe Ito engage and eoact wit the ratchet member 22, and also having at itsopposite. end a projecting shoulder 25 for purposes hereinafter madeclear. This .pawl, is yieldingl held by a spring 26 in position to op- Ierat1 ely engage with the ratchet member tionary pin 27, and this pinengages the shoulder 25 of the pawl 23 when it is at its lower limit ofmovement to thereby overcome the pressure ofthe spring 26,- and hold thepawl 23 out of engagement with the ratchet 00. member 22.

v Mounted upon the-casing member 21,. near its top, is a latch member 28pivoted at one endat'29, and having an opening 30 in its other'end, andalso having an arm 31 at the end opposite from the pivot 29. A' spring32 shown in Figure 9 Mounted in the casing member 21 is a sta-- isprovidedfor normally holdin this latch member to its upward limit 0movement out of the path of travel of the pawl 23, but when said latchmember is at its lower limit of movement, its arm 31 will engage theshoulder 25 of the pawl 23 and force the pawl against its springpressure to position foidlsenga ing the ratchet member 22.

For ,t e purpose of at times holding the latch member 28 at its downwardlimit, I have provided a slidin pin 33 mounted inthe casing 21, and yielingly held inwardly by a spring 34, and obviously when the pin 0 is atits inward limit of movement,where it her will be raised thereby to 1tsupward is normally held by the spring 34, it will hold the latch 28 inposition to engage the ratchet member 23, but when said pin is removedor drawn outwardly, then the sprin 32 holds the latch member upward outof the path of travel of, the pawl 23. The inner end of the pin" 33 isslightly rounded, as v so it will readily enter the opening in'the latchmember 28.

By this arrangement it will be seen that when the pin 33 is at its outerlimit of movement, as' shown in Figure 10, the latch 28 is held by itsspring at its'upper limit of movement, as shown in Figure 10, where itwill not be engaged by the pawl 23, and this will permit the spring ofthe pawl 23 to hold the pawl inposition so it willeng'age the nearestshoulder on the ratchet 22, and hence the ratchet will be carried aroundby the pawl, and the cams on the shaft 15 will be turned and the buckmoved. Then when .the ear wheel 14 has moved througha half revo ution,the pawl 23 will strike the stationary pin 27 and throw thepawl 23 outof engagement with the ratchet 22, thereby stopping the movement of-theshaft 15, after it has made a half revolution.

As soon as the operator observes that the buck has commenced to move,then he releases the pin 33, and this pin is then forced by its spring34 into the opening in the latch 28.- The rounded lower edge of the pin33, as shown in Figure 10, causes this movement of'the pin to swing thefree end of the-latch downwardly until the pin enters the opening in thelatch and holds it at its downward P movement, as shown in Figure 9.Thereupon, and during each revolution of the gear 14, the pawl 28 willbe tipped away from the n moved to its opposite limit of movement andthere stopped.

member at its upper limit of movement, they will be held stationary inthis position during any number of revolutions to the worm gear 14, anduntil the pin 33 is again withdrawn to release the latch member 28, soit will engage the latch 22, whereupon the cams 16 are again turned ahalf revolution and are caused to move the buck member from its upperlimit of movement to its lower limlt, and the pawl23 is again throwninto an 1noperative position by the engagement of its shoulder 25 withthe pin 27.

The buck member is indicated generally by the reference numeral 35 andis preferably provided with the customary pad 36 at its to fiixed to.the frame member and extended transversely across the top thereof arethe frame members 37, both ends of which are extended upwardly at 38;

The head member is indicated generally by the reference numeral 39, andin its closed position it stands spaced apart above the buck memberapproximately one-fourth inch when the buck member is at its lower limitof movement.

I preferably project the side edges of the head member slightly'over andbeyond the top of the buck member to form a safety seal device, ashereinafter more fully ex lained;

This head member is supported, y twO transverse frame members 40 towhich it is firmly fixed. These frame 'members have both ends extendeddownwardly at 41. At the rear of the machine these downwardly extendedends are hingedly connected to the upwardly extending ends 38 of theframe members 37, and at the front there is carried by each of thesedownwardly extended end members 41 alatch member 42, normally held inclosed position by a spring 43, and designed to coact with a pin44'carr1ed by the adjacent frame member 38. These latch members areprovided with forwardly extending ends 45, which'are. connected by ahandle 46.

I preferably provide in the head member" 39 an electric heating elementof ordinary construction not shown. I

Springs 47 are provided for normally holding the head supporting framemembers 40 in an open upright position at the back of the bugk member.

In practical operation, and assuming that the head member is in its openupright position whnlly at the rear of the buck member,

then the operator may readily and easily place the garments to be ironedupon the buck member. Then the operator grasps the its locked positionslightly above the' adjacent. surface of the buck member. I

In-this connection let it be assumed that an operator throughcarelessnesshas placed his fingers between the head and buck member,then due to the projecting edges of the buck member and the fact thatthe space between the head and buck members, when they are latchedtogether, is only about one-fourth .inch, it is obvious that theoperator cannot lower the head member far enough to latch it, and all ofthe pressure that could be applied with the operators ha d upon the headmemher to move it to closed position would not injuriously affect theoperatorsfingers that might happen to be placed between the head andbuck members. Hence, the only time that the head member can be moved toits latched or locked positionis when there is no obstruction betweenthe head and buck members, such for instance as an operators finers.

When the head member is in its locked position, then the operator pullsthe pin 33 outwardly, and assuming that the motor is running, thenthe'pawl' 23 carried by the worm gear 14 moves the shaft 15 very slowlythrough-a half revolution and during this movement, the buck member ismoved upwardly under great pressure against the firmly positioned-headmember, andethe buck I It is obvious that'by means of my improvement,and due to the fact that the movementof the buck member is very'limited,I am enabled to employ a relatively small electrio motor for applying arelatively heavy pressure to the buck member against the locked headmember, and due to the fact that the head member is firmly held upon thesupporting frame members 37 and 40 at both sides, it is obvious thatthese frame members will withstand all the pressure which is ap-- pliedbythe buck member against the head member, and yet due to, theirconstruction, theseframe members may be made of relatively light-andinexpensive material, and since practically all of the, strains'andpressures upon the entire apparat s are carried by these two-framemembers 7 and 40, the

and inexpensive.

I claim as my mventlonz .1. In an ironing] machine of the class de:

scribed, the combination of a frame, two

handle 46 and moves the head member to transversely arranged framemembers near the top of the frame having their ends extended upwardly, abuck member carried by the frame, two transverse head member "carrierspivoted at one end of the upper ends of said upwardly extending framememberon one side of the buck member, a head member fixed tosaidcarriers, the opposite end of said earriers being extendeddownwardly at the sid opposite from the pivot, spring operated.

latch members carried by said carriers, a handle connecting them, andcoacting latch members carried by the upwardly extended portions of saidframe members-on the outside of the buck member, said parts being soarranged and constructed that pressure by the buckmemberupwardlyagains't the head member will be resisted by said frame memherand carriers.

2. In an ironing machine, the combination of a buck, means for bodilyraising and lowering it, a head mounted to be moved toward and from thebuck, a latch device for the head designed to lock the head only in-apredetermined working position which is spaced above the loweredposition of the buck, and whereby when the buck is in an elevatedposition or there is an obstruction between the buck and head, the headcannot belatched against upward movement.

3. In-an ironing machine the combination of a buck capable of beingmoved bodily from a predetermined upward limit of movement to a downwardlimit of movement, manually controlled poweroperated means for movingsaid buck, ahead mounted to. be moved toward and from the buck, a latchdevice for the head designed to lock the head only in a predeterminedworking position which is spaced above the lowered position of the buck,

and whereby when the buck is in an elevated position or there is anobstruction between latched the buck and head, the head cannot beagainst upward movement.

NICHOLAS L; ETTENQ

